Taxi driver stabbed by colleague over delay in service

Poor service given to a resort guest is believed to be the cause of a murder of a taxi driver by his colleague in Arossim on Friday afternoon.

TNN | Apr 20, 2013, 02.24 AM IST

MARGAO/VASCO: Poor service given to a resort guest is believed to be the cause of a murder of a taxi driver by his colleague in Arossim on Friday afternoon.

Ulhas Pednekar, 40, a resident of Morda, Verna, was arrested by Verna police on charges of murder, after he stabbed Distiano Santano D'Costa, 32, also a taxi driver, and a resident of Kalay, Sanguem. The incident occurred just outside the gate of a beach resort around 1.45pm.

Police said Pednekar was earlier operating from the resort as a taxi driver and was currently working as an independent tourist taxi operator, while D'Costa was engaged with the resort as a taxi driver.

Sources said D'Costa had taken leave for some days to prepare for his younger brother's wedding on Saturday and had asked Pednekar to fill in for him at the hotel. On Thursday night, the two had a heated argument over the telephone after Pednekar was late in attending to a guest. On Friday afternoon, Pednekar suddenly came outside the hotel searching for D'Costa and stabbed him in front of all, said sources.

Police said that when they reached the spot, they found D'Costa lying on the ground unconscious. He was rushed to Hospicio hospital, Margao, and then referred to GMC, Bambolim, where he died while undergoing treatment. Pednekar was nabbed from a place at Arossim after a manhunt.

Sources said D'Costa's wife had recently flown to Israel for a job and he was supposed to join her in some months. The couple have a six-year-old daughter.

DySP Lawrence D'Souza, who is supervising the investigation, told TOI that Pednekar stabbed D'Costa with a knife that he was carrying following a brief altercation over some issue concerning the taxi business. He added it was "premature" to say whether the accused resorted to the act on the spur of the moment or if the murder was premeditated.

"It is premature to comment on that, including on the exact motive behind the murder. All these facts will be known once the accused is interrogated," D'Souza said, pointing out that the police were unable to record the deceased's statement. Pednekar was initially arrested under IPC Section 307 for attempt to murder. This was changed to IPC Section 302 (murder) once D'Costa died.

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